


The Truth, If You Please

by XeroKittyLives



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:55:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,259
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27440794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XeroKittyLives/pseuds/XeroKittyLives
Summary: wrath's jealousy knows no bounds
Relationships: Lucifer (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s), Satan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 57





	1. The Concerns of Two Demons

The sharp rap on her bedroom door startled Aya out of her tired trance. She'd been zoning out again--her textbook was propped open on her lap and her eyes had been on the pages but she couldn't remember a single thing she may or may not have read within the past however long she'd been out of it. Her eyes flicked over to her DDD plugged in to charge on the windowsill to find that it was dangerously close to midnight. She puffed out a defeated sigh and slapped the thick book shut, slinging it down onto the mattress beside her and running her hands back through the fluffy mess of her hair. She unbent her legs to help alleviate some of the stiffness that had pooled in her joints.

"Come in," she called to the door, trying not to sound too tired.

It swung open and Aya straightened up in surprise as Lucifer entered her bedroom with a small looking tray balanced in one of his gloved hands. She saw a steaming mug propped on it, and a plate piled generously with brown somethings beside it. The eldest demon brother half turned to close the door politely behind him, before meeting her eyes to regard her.

"I brought you a snack," he explained, crossing the small room in a handful of strides to place the silver tray atop her bedside table. Aya blinked up at him, her eyelids heavy with weariness but her lips perking up into a happy smile nonetheless.

"That's so sweet of you, thank you so much!" She clapped her hands together gleefully, rising to thank him. Lucifer quirked an eyebrow at her reaction, his own thin lips notching into a pleased smile.

"You're very welcome," he nodded, lifting a hand to place lightly atop her head and pat at her hair affectionately. "I figured you may have been studying late for your exams."

"Of course!" She chirped, trying her absolute best not to reveal exactly how tired she was to him. Now she couldn't sleep, not after he had thoughtfully brought her such a sweet gesture. "I want to get really good marks this time!"

"You've had satisfactory results thusfar," he acknowledged.

She shook her head. "But I don't just want to pass, I want to prove that I can do it!" She clenched her fists close to her chest, looking up at him intensely. "I want to show you and Diavolo that you made the right choice in selecting me for the exchange program."

A complex expression flickered briefly across his face, and Lucifer crossed his arms and sat down fluidly on the very edge of her bed, not quite frowning but close to it. "I hope you are not overexerting yourself for something as trivial as that," he shook his head. "Not only are you trying to absorb such a high level of material, but an entire history and culture as well." His mouth frowned at her. "You've only been here for a year; no one will judge you if you fail one exam."

"I know!" she exclaimed, pulling one of her loosely tied ponytails forward over her shoulder and combing her fingers through it, twisting the end of the tail when she came to it. "I don't want to use that as an excuse. I want to do my best to not disappoint anyone." Lucifer watched her fidget anxiously with her hair, letting her continue uninterrupted. "Being put in the same bracket as someone like Solomon... Sometimes, it's hard to feel like he and I are on the same level at all! With these tests tomorrow, I can prove to myself and everyone else that I really do belong here." 

Aya bit her lip nervously and Lucifer appraised her silently, seeming to weigh her words carefully.

"I don't think you could ever disappoint me, Aya," he finally spoke, standing up and uncrossing his arms. Her eyes followed his movement, blinking with surprise--not that she was necessarily deprived of sweet comments from the Pride demon, but that statement was quite a welcome reassurance. It made her chest feel lighter, and he must have seen the relief flooding across her face because his gaze softened and he reached over, stroking his fingers tenderly across her cheek.

"I have complete faith that each of your results will turn out spectacularly." His caress drew out a fiery blush that rushed across her entire face. She felt pretty awake now thanks to that. "How about this?" his lips curved lightly into an encouraging smile. "Let us meet the day after next, to celebrate the end of your examinations."

"W-Wait!" she yelped, her voice coming out higher than she'd intended it to. "You don't even know what grades I'm going to get!"

"I'm sure you'll succeed," he cut her off gently, that cool and mildly infuriating smile still gracing his mouth. "And to celebrate, we shall go on a picnic. The weather will only be so pleasant for just a short while longer, and we can enjoy the full range of the tree's colors before winter comes to bare them. Just the two of us, of course." He added the last part with finality. Not that Aya could deny him, not after such a wonderful proposition. Now with the promise of such a lovely picnic waiting as a reward for all her hard work, she found she could hardly wait until tomorrow, and much less the day after that.

"Okay!" She blurted instantly, and felt a bit embarrassed about her overenthusiasm but he didn't seem to mind it. Lucifer gave her another smile instead, and he smoothed his thumb over her cheek one last time, toying it down to the corner of her mouth before withdrawing his hand completely. The slight tease brought a fresh wave of blush to each of her cheeks.

"Do not stay up too much longer," he cautioned, turning away from her and walking back to the bedroom door. "You must rest, so your focus is at its peak tomorrow."

"I won't!" she promised, her hands clenched to her chest as if attempting to cover up her thudding heartbeat so he wouldn't hear how eager she truly was. Though she suspected that he probably already knew, judging by the smug glance he gave her back over his shoulder. Lucifer opened her bedroom door, producing another of his too-charming smiles.

"Then, I am looking forward to our arrangement," he bowed his head slightly. "Goodnight, Aya."

The door clicked shut behind him and Aya finally released the breath she didn't know she had been holding, swaying on her feet and sighing happily. She clasped her hands together and pressed them against the cheek he had touched, happily bouncing on the tips of her toes. A date! He hadn't called it a date exactly, but she saw it as a date, and she hoped he did too. A picnic! With tea and snacks while they watched the brightly colored leaves dance in the chilly autumn wind that swirled them about. Would he hold her if she got too cold? Or would he lay his head on her lap and lightly doze off after they'd eaten? Maybe he would even kiss her.

Aya squeezed her eyes shut and wiggled her whole body in uncontainable excitement, a small squeal bubbling out of her. She had to get a good score now, she just had to! Letting her body relax--and her heart gradually returning to its normal pace--she let her eyes fall to the tabletop to see what Lucifer had left there. He'd brought tea, which was most likely cooled enough to drink by now, and a plate generously piled with brown cookies. She plucked one up daintily between two fingers and nibbled the very edge of it: Gingerbread! Her favorite kind. How had he known? Or was it just a lucky coincidence?

She sighed with pleasure, munching happily on the cookie and beginning to reach down for her teacup when her DDD suddenly chirped, startling her. "Now who could that be..?" Aya popped the remainder of her cookie into her mouth and then scooped the device up from its resting perch on her window ledge. The charge cable was still attached so it trailed down between her wrists as she flicked the device screen awake with her thumb, tapping the waiting message alert near the bottom left edge of the screen to pull up the text.

"Satan?" She looked at the contact name, surprised. What was he doing up so late?

_'Are you still awake?'_

_"Yes,"_ she answered, slowly beginning to grin. Of course he'd still be awake--he'd probably been studying as well, though she was sure he didn't need to. _"I was taking a break from studying. Why are you up though?"_

 _'For the same reasons you are.'_ His response came back instantly. _'Feeling confident?'_

She hadn't been about ten minutes ago, but now Aya felt she could pass anything the professors threw at her tomorrow.

 _"I think so!"_ she typed back. _"I just got some tea, so I'm going to go over my notes one more time before calling it a night."_

 _'Would you like some help tomorrow morning before class?'_ he offered and she found herself slightly surprised, even though it wasn't out of the ordinary for him to do so. Perhaps it was because of Lucifer's visit earlier, and how it seemed the two of them worried over her and wanted to help in their own particular ways. Not for the first time, Aya was amused to note how alike the two of them actually were, however much they were loathe to admit it to themselves.

_"I'd really like that. Thank you, Satan."_

_'Not a problem. I'll see you tomorrow at six?'_

Aya glanced at the top of the screen to check the time, already resigned to less than eight hours of uninterrupted sleep anyway. Besides, spending time with his assured demeanor right before exams would help quell her nerves immensely.

 _"And we can go to breakfast together before classes start?"_ she asked hopefully, even though she most likely wouldn't be able to keep down anything more than a piece of toast.

 _'Yes, of course.'_ His rapid responses already made her feel more confident. _'Make sure you get to sleep soon, alright?'_

_"I will, but you too! I'll see you in the morning."_

_'Yes, goodnight.'_

She put her DDD back down onto the windowsill and looked at the tray of snacks one more time. She would finish the tea and pack the rest of the cookies up for tomorrow so she could snack on them between exams. With a satisfied nod, she took up her cup and crossed over to her writing desk as she drank from it. Lavender, and chamomile? She licked her lips; he'd used honey instead of sugar too. Smiling even more, Aya dug her notes binder out from her schoolbag and went back to her bed, nudging the abandoned textbook even further away with one knee before settling down on top of her thick comforter and letting the folder fall open on top of her pillows.

"Alright," she muttered, using her free hand to flip to the tab neatly labeled with her first period class. She took another sip of her tea and reveled in the sweetness, both of it and of Lucifer's gesture. And of Satan's too. She couldn't let them down now, and she wouldn't. Aya bent her head and focused.


	2. Green is the Color of Envy Too

She was exhausted; her bleary eyes itched with sleep deprivation as she sluggishly ascended the staircase toward the fourth floor. Aya didn't even have the time or the energy to expend on braiding up her hair as she normally did each morning. She rarely wore it loose since it was so thick, and it frizzed up in the afternoons if she hadn't taken particular care of it earlier in the day, but between her nerves and her lack of rest, she'd barely managed to run a brush through it before gathering up her things and heading for Satan's room. She didn't even know if she had missed anything in her mindless drag through her usual morning routine, but she hardly cared anyway at the moment. She ran into Beel on the staircase and didn't even realize it until he stopped on the step just above her and spoke, startling her badly.

"You're up early," he commented. Then his hands shot up as she swayed, clasping her upper arms firmly to keep her balanced. She steadied with his help and smiled up at him, reaching up with one of her hands to touch the back of his own.

"You are too," she said as wave of dizziness subsequently washed over her. Her smaller hand squeezed his, wordlessly grateful as he continued to keep hold of her. Beelzebub ducked his head to her eye level and she saw deep concern plastered on his usually passive features. He was watching her carefully, his frown almost stern. "I'm okay, Beel, I'm sorry." She shook her head to clear it and forced a smile, trying to will her lightheadedness to pass. "I just stayed up really late last night and I'm tired, that's all."

"You should rest," his voice was hard--she was getting a rare scolding from the demon of Gluttony. "What if you had fallen down the stairs?"

"I knew you would catch me," she sighed, feeling the faintness begin to leave her. This time when she smiled up at him it was much more genuine. "You're going out for a run, right?"

Beelzebub shook his head, not in the negative but to firmly ignore her attempt to change the subject. "Of course I'll catch you, but then that makes me want to never leave your side," he pouted deeply. He was just too naturally endearing: Aya already felt better in her need to not cause him worry. She rose up slowly onto her tiptoes and kissed the corner of his mouth, attempting to urge away the frown that did not suit his face.

"The way you say that makes me never want you to leave my side," she laughed, and her weariness finally began to recede. He sensed that she was fairing a bit better and his grip relaxed minutely, but not his expression. 

"Get some rest after exams today," he lectured. "I don't want you to get hurt, or sick." His upset melted into deep concern. She was so thankful for him--for each of the brothers that cared about her so much. It was why she had to do well; not just on today's exams but all of the time. She didn't want to give one ounce of reasoning to anyone paying attention that she was unfit to be here in the Devildom. She was going to keep proving it, and she would not leave a a single shred of evidence to the contrary.

"I will," she promised. "I'll take a nap right after my last test, okay Beel?" She took his hands in both of hers and squeezed them, trying to physically assure him that she was telling the truth. After a moment, he squeezed her hands in return, and a more normal smile eased across his face. She was glad to see it.

"Okay," he nodded, satisfied, and he slowly released her. "I'll tell Belphie that you're gonna nap later so he can make sure that you do." 

She laughed again, elated that she was feeling and sounding more normal. "Alright, deal."

Beelzebub kissed her firmly before he continued on down the staircase, ducking around her before she could react. "Good luck, Aya," he said back over his shoulder. "You can do it."

She floundered, totally thrown off by the abrupt kiss, then released a flustered little giggle and turned to wave after him. "Have a safe run, Beel!" When he was gone from view she continued up the stairs.

As she passed the third floor, Aya attempted to fix her hair as best she could without the aid of a brush or mirror. She hoped Satan wouldn't judge her disheveled appearance too harshly. At least she was awake now, thanks to Beel. When she got to his bedroom door she rapped on it lightly with her knuckles, knowing full well he'd already be awake and waiting for her. The heavy wooden door swung open right on cue and there he stood, wide awake and neatly kept as per usual. Satan raised his eyebrows a little in note of her appearance, but he politely stepped aside and swept his arm out in a welcoming gesture.

"Come in," he invited and she did, beaming up at him as brightly as she could manage.

"Good morning!"

He closed the door and turned to address her, his face conveying just the correct amount of friendly concern. "You look very tired," he observed, and a trimly gloved hand lifted up from his side to catch at his chin thoughtfully. "How late did you stay up?"

"Not long after you messaged me," she assured, holding up her hands in supplication. A bit of stretched truth, but she hoped he wouldn't call her out on it. "I got through my notes one last time before I went to sleep."

Satan grunted, she thought maybe disapprovingly. Thankfully he didn't press her.

"Well, let's review." He strode past her and patted the back of the armchair he himself normally utilized. Granted it was the only seat in the whole room besides the bed that was clear from any of the uncountable towers of books stacked everywhere, but then where would he sit? Aya obeyed him regardless, and removed her bag from around her shoulders and set it on the paper-strewn floor to lean against her shins. She withdrew her notes binder from it and settled the bulky thing on her lap, turning it open to her first course of the day.

"Okay," she looked up at him, ready for his instruction. Satan, however, had gone over to his bedside table and opened a small drawer. Now he closed it and turned back to approach her, an elegant looking gold comb in hand. She tilted her head at him curiously.

"Go on," he urged, standing beside the chair on her left and lightly scooping up her spill of untamed hair on that side. He gently parted it neatly along the back of her head and began to brush the falls of it into the waiting fingers of his right hand. "Start with your morning class." He spoke casually, as if what he was doing wasn't out of the ordinary. "Curses and Hexes, right?"

"R-Right," she almost nodded but then stopped herself, careful not to move her head too much. Slow heat began to rise up in her cheeks, and confused--but also wildly delighted--her eyes dropped down to her notes obediently. Initially though, they refused to focus on her own handwriting. He was brushing her hair. Satan, the Avatar of Wrath, was painstakingly styling a human girl's hair.

And it felt absolutely divine.

Aya bit her lip to try and contain the huge smile that threatened to burst out onto her face and she drew in a deep breath, not wanting to disappoint Satan, or make him stop pampering her for that matter. She refocused, clearing her throat and musing over the papers in her lap out loud. "I'm pretty sure we're starting with the traditional origins of curses first and then aftermath of their spread, including influences up in the human world."

He nodded, firmly focused on parting the hair he'd collected into three loose sections. He put the comb down on top of the armrest and began to plait the strands loosely. "I'm fairly certain that professor is fond of his exams being written format," Satan mused back to her. "For extra credit, I advise presenting a more in depth look at the influence of curses up in the human world. Try to pinpoint historically accurate settings and dates for your examples, if you can recall them."

"Oh.." she blinked. That did make sense, and it would definitely give her written responses an edge she coveted. "Thank you!" He affirmed wordlessly, his attention fully fixated on finishing the braid on that side of her head. He didn't have a hair tie (nor did she) so he deftly wove the three thick tails well down to where her hair curled naturally at its edges. Once completed, he dropped the finished pigtail and took a step back, giving his work a critically appraising once over. He tapped his chin with the knuckle of one finger until he eventually nodded, satisfied.

"What's the next subject?" he asked her, taking up the comb again and circling over to her right side.

"Oh, uhm," she thumbed the divider tab and flipped to the second class of the day: "Speechcraft."

"What spells did you learn over the past few weeks?" he prompted, beginning to brush that side of her hair in the exact same manner. Aya wanted to close her eyes and just melt with pleasure right there in the deceptively comfortable armchair, but she was fairly certain Satan wouldn't approve. If only he knew how hard he was making this last-minute study session for her! Then again, if he did he might have been inclined to stop, and she definitely didn't want that.

"Try to remember some of the basic spells too," he kept on. "Usually, you'll be asked to do an oral presentations at the end for a grade."

"Icky," she wrinkled her nose and he favored her with an amused grin. Her heart skipped happily at the sight of it. Just as she had hoped, his presence had eased her nervousness considerably.

"Can you help me with some pronunciations?" she begged him sheepishly. "I still flub a lot of the longer words."

He nodded, beginning the second braid carefully. "Sure. Try saying some of the ones you're having trouble with and I'll correct you if you're mispronouncing them."

**\---**

"You seem more confident," Satan noted as they descended the staircase side by side. Aya grinned at him, her arm looped around his.

"It's all thanks to your help!" she chirped. He offered her a complacent smile as they stepped into the dining hall together.

Aya didn't expect to see anyone else since it was so close to the start of morning classes, but two of the brothers were still seated at the table when she and Satan arrived: Belphegor and Lucifer. Belphie, however pleasant, was unsurprising--he was usually the last down to breakfast, if he even decided to show up at all. It was either that, or he strolled into his afternoon classes hours later and pilfered Aya's notes (not that he really needed them, nor did she mind). But seeing Lucifer still here was a surprise.

She felt Satan stiffen up beside her and she squeezed his arm reassuringly. The two seated at the table looked up at their entrance, Belphie's cheeks stuffed almost comically with cold breakfast food. He looked like a chewing sloth, Aya thought, and pressed her lips together tightly so she wouldn't let an unprompted giggle slip out.

"I'll go see if there's coffee left," Satan declared loudly, abruptly disentangling himself from her side and abandoning her in the middle of the room to march into the attached kitchen. Aya resisted the urge to roll her eyes with amusement at his blatant display of avoidance. Lucifer rose as soon as the younger sibling retreated, crossing the room to approach her. She lifted her hand to greet him with a small wave as he did so.

"Good morning, Lucifer," she chirped when he stopped in front of her.

"You're rather late this morning," he tilted his head slightly to one side, some of his tidy black bangs neatly spilling across his forehead. "Doing some last minute studying?"

"Yes," she nodded. "Satan offered me extra help before class today."

"I see," Lucifer flicked his hair away from his eyes with a minute toss of his head. "Feeling confident, then?"

"Very," she grinned firmly. "I'm going to do great today!"

"That's quite pleasing to hear." He reached up and patted the top of her head once very gently. "I have no doubt you will do well." Then he turned from her a little, signifying the approaching end of their short conversation. "I waited for you so I could wish you luck today, but I don't think you need it." He started to step past her but paused, catching her eye meaningfully. "Do not forget about our arrangement tomorrow."

"I haven't!" she shook her head eagerly, her neatly made braids bouncing against her shoulders. Of course she hadn't forgotten! How could she?

"Very good," he concluded and left the room. She half-turned to watch him go, butterflies tickling up from the depths of her belly. When she faced forward again she saw Satan striding back up to her, one mug in each hand and a sour scowl twisting up his face.

"What did he want?" he asked huffily. Aya again patiently refrained, this time from grinning at his childish attitude.

"Lucifer wanted to wish me luck and remind me about our plans tomorrow."

"Plans?" one of his eyebrows shot up distastefully.

"Mhm," she tucked some of her hair behind her ear and stroked her fingers down one pretty braid, still internally gushing over just how lovely it was. She was still deeply touched he'd done them up so diligently for her. "He invited me out on a picnic tomorrow as a reward for doing well on my today."

"Is that why you wanted to do so well, then?" his voice came out unexpectedly dripping with cynicism.

Aya blinked at the sudden pivot in his perception and frowned up at him. "What? No! Of course not!" Her brow furrowed. "I really just want to do well!"

"Good luck on your exams then." Satan thrust the coffee cup in his right hand at her and she quickly clutched it in both of her own for fear of it crashing to the floor and spilling everywhere. He then brushed past her, his sharp eyes carefully cold and riveted straight ahead, completely tuning out her presence.

"Satan, wait!" she took a few hurried steps after him but stopped when she felt hot wetness starting to spread across her stomach. She skidded to a halt and stared down at the rapidly blooming stain blotting across the front of her uniform jacket stupidly. How could this be happening? How could her morning have gone from so immeasurably wonderful all at once to this? Sharp tears of stinging hurt sprang into her eyes and threatened to overflow as her chest commenced to hitch. She clenched her jaw hard to try and keep from bursting into pitiful sobs but she was swiftly losing that battle.

Belphie was beside her. He put a hand on her shoulder and she twisted around to hide her face against him, her face burning violently with confused shame. The now empty mug clattered loudly to the tiles between their feet as she lifted her wet hands to clench in the rumpled material of his uniform, and in one small saving grace, it did not shatter and send ceramic shrapnel skittering every which way.

"Don't let him get to you," Belphegor murmured over her restrained hiccups, his voice low as he tried his best to swiftly soothe her before she unraveled in his arms. "You know how he is about Lucifer."

"But what did I do wrong?" she whimpered, squeezing her eyes tightly shut as a few heavy molten tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. What _had_ she done? What had she said between one sentence and the next to anger him so tremendously? Belphie embraced her completely, running a hand up and down her back in an attempt to calm her down as he held her tightly to him.

"Well, I can't lie to you and say 'nothing'," he alluded carefully. "But his reaction was uncustomarily over the top."

The great clock in the main hall gonged unceremoniously, alarming them both. Aya pushed rigidly away from Belphie and drew in a deep breath, her eyes closing as she wrestled to calm herself. One last rouge tear rolled off her lashes and plunked onto the front of her ruined uniform. She opened her eyes and addressed him firmly, although in truth she was actually scolding herself--desperately clutching at her composure, trying to pull it back into place.

"We're going to be late," she said, her voice quavering still just the slightest bit. "Come on."

"Aya." Belphegor frowned. "You're not in any state to take-"

"I'm not failing those tests," she shook her head savagely, dropping her school bag into the crook of her elbow and shrugging off her dirty jacket as soon as she unfastened the large buttons. She did it surprisingly fast despite her trembling fingers. Aya bundled it up and stuffed it forcibly into the mouth of her bag, mounting the thick strap over her shoulder once more before immediately striding out of the dining hall and into the main entryway as fast as her shorter legs would propel her. She would not be late. She would _not_ fail.


	3. No Fury Like a Demon Scorned

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i apologize for the wait. thank you for your patience

Despite the emotional rattling from yesterday, Aya felt she had done very well. She'd taken all of Satan's pointers (despite their abrupt fallout) and applied them to each exam: by the end, she felt confident in all of her answers. Then, she had gone to nap with Belphie. She'd crashed and slept for hours in his bed with him, tangled together and seeking his physical comfort. She had been too physically and mentally exhausted to do anything else. She'd also avoided the awkwardness of going down to dinner, lest she run into the seething Wrath demon, but a text message from Belphie as she huddled under his thick comforter informed her that Satan hadn't been there either. She'd ended up just eating all of her leftover gingerbread cookies and feeling sorry for herself instead. And Belphegor had let her spend the night.

"What's wrong?"

Lucifer's quiet voice startled her out of her reflective trance and she flushed guiltily, refocusing her attention on him. He had brought her out just as promised, all the way to Diavolo's private resort. Somewhere beyond the trees that surrounded them, the sunlit beach roiled and pulled with its magically simulated tides. That same enchanted sun hung halfway down in the cusp of the sky for them now, painting the air around them a beautiful deep orange hue that made her ache for the human world, just a little. She offered Lucifer a tentative smile, picking up her ceramic cup of ice tea and sipping it down, letting the mild sweetness soothe her lingering anxiety.

"I was thinking about how my exams went," she didn't exactly lie. He leaned closer to her, tilting her face up with one finger by tapping underneath her chin beckoningly. Her eyes met his, her face erupting into a fresh blush.

"You're obsessing," he chided her gently. "It won't do any good, and it will not change the results. I brought you here to relax, Aya, so please, relax."

"Yes, I'm sorry..." She cleared her throat and offered up a sheepish, apologetic smile. He withdrew his hand and placed it on the blanket between them, leaning his weight on it so his face remained close to hers. She watched loose strands of his neat black hair brush across his forehead as a chilly wind caressed past them. "Thank you for bringing me out here today," she said earnestly. "It's just like being back in the human world."

"Do you miss it?" he asked. She thought for a moment before answering him.

"I miss things about it," she explained slowly. "Things like this." She gestured toward the sunset spread in golden shafts between the rich, dark, handsome tree trunks around them, its rays blanketing them in their lingering warmth. Lucifer had been right: the leaves were completely afire with all sorts of beautiful colors; just the right hues for this time of year in the human realm. She felt his eyes studying her face intensely and she turned her attention to him again, smiling more sincerely. "But I like the Devildom. And I like all of you much more."

"We can come back any time you want," he offered, "so you can experience the things you may come to miss while here in the Devildom. Any time you feel homesick, just say the word and I will personally escort you myself."

The sentiment touched her heart in a way that made it start to race. She reflexively placed one hand atop it, feeling its rapid pulse. Lucifer reached over with his other hand and slid his long, elegant fingers into hers, gently urging her hand away from her chest. His thumb ran lightly over the tops of her curled fingers and he drew her cold hand up to his lips and kissed it. Her heart beat faster and her face darkened even more, the heat of her blush racing up to the tips of her ears and down along her neck.

"Lucifer.." she whispered, shivering lightly. She watched with large eyes as his perfectly thin lips trailed across her knuckles, kissing each of them warmly, his gaze tilted up so it remained locked on her expression. She squeezed his hand convulsively and licked her lips, struggling for the breath he had so slyly stolen from her. "Thank you, so much," she managed to exhale. Lucifer straightened up and silently opened his arms. Aya eagerly took his invitation, casting her arms about his neck and hugging him tightly. His hand went to the small of her back and pressed slightly, encouraging her to slip into his lap--which she did, lifting her face to nuzzle up into his neck, her lips softly rubbing against the underside of his jaw as she let out a pleased sigh. Lucifer's other hand left the picnic blanket and rose to her hair, stroking it back from her face tenderly.

"I would do anything to see you smile," he spoke softly into her ear, his lips very slightly teasing at it, evicting a harsher shudder from her.

"Can I do anything to make you smile now?" she murmured back, half dizzy with the sweet shivers he kept evicting out of her between his roving hand and mouth.

"Perhaps I can think of something," he chuckled, the sound of it reverberating through her and spurring her heart into overdrive.

Lucifer coaxed her face toward his and lowered his head just a fraction, enough so that his lips brushed against her own to wordlessly ask her permission. Aya tilted her head back and let her eyes slide closed as she let out the tiniest of encouraging whimpers, the fingers of one hand curling timidly into the hair at the nape of his neck. His arms tightened, pulling her even closer and he cupped her jaw, fingers splaying delicately across her skin as if over a fragile surface of glass.

"I love you," she thought she heard him whisper. She breathed his name achingly back in response, and Lucifer decisively sealed her mouth with his.

**\---**

He had given her his overcoat on their journey back and she had snuggled into its warmth gratefully against the unexpected chill that had engulfed them as they'd left Diavolo's resort. They walked arm in arm, her cheek pressed against his sweetly against his sleeve, and when they arrived at the House of Lamentation he stroked her hair and pressed a small kiss to the center of her forehead.

"Thank you for coming with me today," he appraised her affectionately, taking the empty picnic basket from her hands.

"I can put that away-" she tried to reach for it but he cut her off wordlessly as he stroked her cheek, shaking his head.

"Get some rest, young lady," he instructed, lifting his coat from her shoulders and slinging it over one of his own fluidly. She marveled at the elegant way he moved. "You will feel more at ease once you've had a decent night's sleep."

"Alright," she conceded reluctantly, clasping her hands gingerly in front of herself. "Thank you again, Lucifer. I had the most wonderful time."

"I'm sure you did," he flashed her his secretive, mischievous smirk. "I did too," he added, reaching down to pluck up one of her hands so he could kiss it one final time. "Now, to bed with you. That's not a suggestion."

She beamed, her cheeks flashing pink for the hundredth time that day. "Yes, sir," she suppressed a giggle. His mouth quirked in one last slight smile before turning to leave her at the entranceway. Aya let out a satisfied sigh and leaned back against the huge great doors, pulling her muted DDD from her small purse to check on her messages now that their date was over. She flicked the unlock pattern across the screen with her thumb and read them: one message from Belphie, asking her if she felt better; one from Levi, asking if she wanted to hang out tomorrow with a new game he'd picked up; and one from-

_'Aya, I apologize for the way I acted yesterday. Would it be too much to ask if you could come to my room when you get back so I can apologize face to face?'_

"Satan..!" she let out a relieved breath. She was so eager to make things right and put this small awkwardness behind them. Excited, Aya rushed up the four polished flights of stairs and scampered down the hall to his bedroom. She knocked on the door eagerly, the taps light and fluttery with her haste. "Satan?" she called through to him. There was a rustle from inside as she waited anxiously for him to respond, bouncing on the tips of her toes in anticipation. As soon as he opened the door she launched herself through it, flinging her arms around Satan's shoulders and nuzzling against his chest fervently.

"I'm sorry," Aya buried her face into him, her apology muffled by his clothing. She felt his arms encircle her hesitantly and it encouraged her to rush on: "I didn't mean to upset you yesterday, it was just something that came up last minute and I didn't want to be rude and decline- I genuinely just wanted to do well, I swear!"

"And I didn't mean to upset you on such an important day."

Aya peered up at him, noting that his voice still sounded a bit cold and closed off. "What do I have to do to prove how sorry I am?" she practically begged, her bottom lip pouting outward slightly. "Please, Satan, give me another chance?"

Satan stared down at her silently for a moment or two, his expression carefully unreadable. Aya waited for him to make a decision, her anxiousness steadily mounting: Satan was perhaps the cruelest of all the brothers. Not that she feared he would harm her, but his potential punishment could very well be something she couldn't hope to emotionally endure. But she'd do everything she could win back his favor and so she would endure it, no matter what he chose. Satan finally made a decision and withdrew from her, stepping back an arms length and holding out a hand to her in silent demand. She took it obediently, and he immediately slipped a cold, glittering ring of metal onto her left wrist, materializing it from seemingly nowhere. Aya blinked in surprise, staring down at the slim gold bangle set with a large, teardrop shaped green gemstone that glinted up at her, almost sinisterly.

She tilted her head quizzically and looked back up to him, but he had turned away from her. He strode purposefully to his armchair as a sharp green glow formed around his body, shaping and solidifying in different places to form new appendages and garments as Aya watched in frozen surprise. In a flourish of pitch black feathers, Satan settled himself into his high-backed armchair, one leg crossing over the other as his rigid ebony tail swayed and his curled horns gleamed in the dimness of his bedroom. Languidly, he rested one elbow atop the supple leather of one armrest, propping his chin up to study her with cool, indifferent regard.

"Satan..?" she prompted him for an answer, touching the gold bracelet nervously. Unwillingly, she began to shake from the icy chill radiating from his demonic aura.

"Do you want to know what it is?" His voice light with amusement and devoid of warmth. This was the pure Avatar of Wrath. Aya shrunk back against the bedroom door in spite of herself; it hurt to see him this way after they'd grown so close.

"What did you do?" she asked him, her voice naked with hurt. He ignored it easily.

"It's imbibed with a strong truth charm," he explained, his eyes reflecting like shards of green bottle glass. "Very strong. I procured it just last week to use on Lucifer." He leaned forward to place his elbows on his knees, lacing his fingers together and resting his chin atop of his joined hands. An amused smirk slowly toyed out across his lips. "And I thought perhaps I would test it on you first."

"Satan," she attempted to reason with him. Could he truly not trust anything she said? That hurt her deeply. "You don't need a spell for me to tell you the truth-"

"You humans are all exactly alike," he cut her off quickly, his icy stare piercing into her, daring her to protest again. "You all lie to protect yourselves. I will find out the truth from you with your own dishonest mouth."

Aya hung her head in defeat, clasping the wrist with the cursed bracelet against her chest and twisting it around in her trembling fingers. She knew without him having to tell her she could not remove it on her own--magic simply worked that way. She inhaled slowly, steading herself against his harsh voice and his even harsher glare. She would bear this if it would legitimately ease his rage.

"Let's start with an easy one, shall we?" he hummed with that calculated cruelty he was prepared to assault her with. "Who were you out and about with today, hm?"

"Lucifer," she answered him faintly.

"Where did you go?" he continued.

"To the enchanted resort, the one that belongs to-"

"Diavolo. Of course he took you there," he laughed bitterly, his notched tail waving stiffly in silent agitation. His glaring green eyes narrowed. "What did you do with Lucifer?"

"We watched the leaves fall," she couldn't help but mumble, knowing he would not like the last part of her answer. "We had a picnic with tea and sandwiches. We kissed."

"I'm sure you did," his slitted eyes narrowed even further. "Good, it works. I knew, of course, but it's different to hear you confess something like that directly."

"Satan, please-" She hated hurting him, even unintentionally.

"Which of us do you like better?" he shot back, completely ignoring her attempted plea. " Do you love Lucifer, or myself?"

She shook her head: "I can't answer that."

"You will," his eyes flared angrily. "You're bound to answer truthfully, so, answer me!"

"I can't answer because I don't love either of you any more or any less than the other!" Aya raised her voice back at him. "I love you both! Differently!"

He glared at her, his expression switching haltingly from unmasked rage to petulant confusion. He knew that she could not lie, after all. "Explain," he growled, but there was less force in his voice. Aya leaned back against the heavy door behind her, not trusting her legs to support her weight with how drained she felt; keeping herself composed under the pressure of malicious energy radiating from him was more exhausting than she had anticipated. But she felt he was finally giving her the chance to speak, and she was going to take it.

"Satan, you and Lucifer are two completely different people," her eyes carefully trailed up to seek his, imploring. "I love him in a certain way, and I love you another way." 

"How do you love him then, compared to me?" he demanded, his tone now bordering on sulky. She managed a shaky smile at his gradual decline back toward his normal persona.

"Lucifer is very composed, and surprisingly kind. I love the way that he looks at me when he thinks I'm not paying attention, and I love when he doesn't have his guard up in front of me." Satan's eyes flashed and his nose wrinkled, but not with rage. Jealousy, then?

"And?" he prompted. "How do you love me?"

"I love how passionate you are about the things you like," she spoke without reservation, locking her gaze with his. "I love that you take every opportunity to learn, even from a weak human like me." She thought she saw his eyes widen just a fraction but she plunged on before he could potentially interrupt her. "I love when you invite me along to art galleries and then to the cafe afterwards to gush about the pieces and their history."

Slowly, his horns and tail began to fade away, disappearing with ember-like green flickers along with the last of his lingering rage. Relief flooded her whole body and she sagged against the door. Satan caught her up in his arms before she could collapse, his expression strained with concern. "Aya..."

"I love the way you get lost in your books," she beamed up at him, so happy to feel his touch again. "And the way you adore cats, and how weak with affection you get whenever you see one." Satan frowned, cheeks growing ruddy with rising embarrassment. Aya giggled softly and reached up to touch his face adoringly. He gripped her hand firmly in response, pressing his pink cheek into her palm. He was warm again. "I love that you care about me, and how you take every opportunity to make me feel better, to _make_ me better. Do you want to know why I wanted to do so well, Satan? The real reason?"

He nodded, looking like a shamed puppy. "Not because of your date with Lucifer?"

She shook her head. "Not because of Lucifer--because of you. I wanted to show you how much I've learned since I came down to the Devildom." She pressed her forehead against his chest and closed her eyes, thumb smoothing across his cheekbone. "I wanted to prove that I'm smart enough to have good, thought provoking conversations with. I know that you like intelligent company, and that I can be a bit.. lacking sometimes-"

"Aya," he said in a firm, admonishing voice.

"I want you to look at me as an equal, even though I'm just a human."

"Stop." Satan pulled up the wrist he'd fitted with the gold bangle and twisted it off of her quickly, tossing it away. It bounced noiselessly on the carpet and became lost in the haphazardly stacked, maze-like piles of books. Uncaring, he regathered her up tightly into his arms and squeezed her fiercely. "I'm sorry." She heard a slight catch in his voice and she lifted her hands up around his back to cling onto him. His forehead pressed into the curve of her neck. "Are you afraid of me..?" his voice almost trembled.

"No," she soothed him immediately, pressing a small kiss against the hollow spot between his jaw and his neck. "I understand why you wanted to."

"I shouldn't have done this to you," he drew back to stare into her eyes achingly. "Trying to justify why I subjected you to such a thing doesn't make it right." He shook his head vehemently. "You mean the world to me, Aya. And I've never thought that you were stupid or lesser. I know sometimes I say things that are contradictory to that but I don't mean them about you, never. I promise you."

"Satan," she kept soothing him with slow, feather light strokes of her fingers down along his back. "I'll always tell you the truth--do you believe me?" 

"Yes."

He scooped her easily off of her feet and swept her into a full, dizzying kiss, his lips searching desperately for forgiveness from her. Aya stroked back his tumble of blond hair with her fingers and returned his kiss as sweetly as she could convey, gazing up into his eyes blissfully when he finally tore away from her. "I know I don't deserve to ask but," Satan begged her unashamedly, "will you stay with me tonight? I.. I want to apologize to you until you fall asleep."

"You don't have to do that!" she tittered. "I forgive you! Yes, I'll stay with you." She held up a finger. "But only if you promise to stop apologizing!"

"Alright," he agreed, immediately carrying her toward his large bed. "Can I tell you how much I love you instead?"

"I'd like that," Aya nuzzled under his jaw, brushing her lips against his chin. Satan lay her down atop the neatly tucked sheets. Her arms linked delicately around his neck as his framed either side of her waist, holding himself up above her.

"Better yet, I'll show you," he promised, and bent his head to kiss her once more.


End file.
